Tuesday 14 June 2011

Kingpin

Round 31: December 2033 (Summer)
last update/Rebecca's next update/Susannah's next update

Rebecca Kirby is 24 and Susannah Carmody is 23.
(Nathan is 23, Hope and Julia are both 22 and Audrey and Jack are both 21)

Narrated by Rebecca Kirby

Now that Christmas is over, Susannah and I are focusing our efforts on throwing a New Year's Eve party.

I just finished my first year as a qualified psych and personally, I could really use a chance to unwind.

I'm a school counselor right now, though I'm working out of the hospital. Near the end of the year, I did a lot of careers counseling for the kids going into Grades 11 and 12. They all have to see me at one point but some come in with their whole lives mapped out in front of them already.

And some of the others just have no clue what they want to do. I didn't really know at that age either but I enjoy talking to them about their options and I hope I'm helpful.

I love that part. It's the work I have to do in between sessions that's killing me. Case notes, referrals, et cetera. My work hours are 9 to 5 but I can't remember the last time I only worked 8 hours on any one day. I'm looking forward to this party like you wouldn't believe!

I would have thought Susannah did enough cooking at work but since Christmas, she's done hardly anything at home except bring in more and more groceries and make more and more party food for freezing.

Better her than me. I know how to cook but much to Mum's horror, I'd rather not.

We never planned on making this a huge thing but the guest list was still tricky. Susannah wanted to invite Julia who, in my opinion, is completely out of her mind. I would really rather not have her in my apartment.

Susannah is a softie though and she didn't really see a way out of inviting her. For one thing, she lives right across the hall. And for another, we were planning on inviting her roommate Hope, who is also Susannah's cousin.

So I was stuck with Julia, whether I liked it or not. I wasn't happy with it but Susannah wasn't going to budge. She even told me to "be nice".

Like I'm the one who needs that kind of reminder. Julia blames me for Nathan breaking up with her.

Nathan and I do hang out a lot but nothing has happened between us at all. We're just friends.

Not that I don't want something to happen. It's pretty bad timing, I guess. Nathan had a huge crush on me at university, before I met Lucian. I didn't really want to give him the time of day then.

Now though? I'm definitely seeing the appeal. He's actually a really cute guy.

And Nathan is incredibly ambitious as well, which I always appreciate in a guy. That was what we bonded over initially. It was last year, when he was starting law school and I was finishing up my Master's.

To be honest, Nathan is a big reason I didn't want Julia at the party. I don't want her hanging around while I'm trying to make a move on him. I guess I'll just have to do what I can.

Despite Julia's presence, the party was pretty great.

We did get a couple of noise complaints from our neighbour though. She was lucky it was Susannah and not me who answered the door. I would have told her where she could shove her complaint. Who's trying to sleep at 11pm on New Year's Eve anyway? There's no kids in this building, so what's the big deal?

Apart from Julia, Hope also brought her boyfriend, Malcolm, who is also Susannah's ex.

I know it was a long time ago but I'm still amazed Susannah gets along with Malcolm as well as she does. I'm more of a grudge-holding type.

Then again, Susannah is pretty wrapped up in Sam at the moment. They got together (finally) in May and so far, so good.

They do make a cute couple and Sam is a really nice guy. Susannah has some spectacularly bad luck with guys over the past couple of years, so she deserves a good guy maybe more than anyone.

And I picked him out, all those years ago! If Susannah and Sam get married and live happily ever after, I'm planning on taking full credit.

Audrey is one of Susannah's best friends, so she and Jack were at the party as well.

At this point, I don't even know if Julia remembers why she hates Jack but she had her scowl at the ready anyway. Man, she really loathes Jack!

She kept staring at Nathan too but it was a little different. She didn't really look angry - just kind of sad.

I thought I was never going to get Nathan alone, until Hope took Julia out onto the balcony, which distracted her a little.

That, along with the music and the talking, made it incredibly easy for Nathan and I to sneak off.

When I invited Nathan to the party, I didn't really know things would go as far as they did.

But one thing led to another, as sometimes happens.

I think we were both a little bit tipsy but I don't regret it. I would have done the same thing sober.

We rejoined the party afterwards and I don't know if anyone had even noticed we were gone.

Except Julia. I think Julia might suspect something is going on now. Nathan's not looking forward to running into her again, though it's inevitable that he will.

I was expecting her to blow up right then and there but she just kind of slumped in the corner for the rest of the night.

I could almost feel sorry for her. Our party was kind of imbalanced.

Including me and Nathan, it was all couples. And then there was Julia.

It would have to suck being the only person without somebody at midnight.

I knew Nathan wasn't a one-night-stand kind of guy, so I was expecting to get a phone call at some point. I wasn't expecting it to come at 7am but apparently, Nathan's a morning person.

He asked me out and we had a great time though, so I'm trying not to hold that against him. I think this could really be something good for both of us.

Since the party, Susannah has been kind of down. She's been sleeping much more than normal and it's incredibly hard to wake her and get her moving.

She's been shuffling around the house, hardly talking at all and just generally acting depressed.

I finally sat her down and made her tell me what was wrong. I thought maybe she'd say she had a fight with Sam.

There was no fight with Sam though. Susannah found out she was pregnant the day before New Year's. She was in denial about it and once she didn't have the party to focus on any more, she had to face facts.

Understandably, Susannah is totally freaking out at the moment. She's always wanted kids but she hasn't even been with Sam long enough to have really discussed that kind of thing. He doesn't know yet. Telling him is her next step.

I've told her that I'm there for her, no matter what but I don't really know what to do any more than she does.

Notes:
  • Title is from Kingpin by Wilco.
  • These pictures seriously do no justice to what Malcolm and Hope were like at this party! They were all over each other for the entire time! Happy to be reunited, finally, I guess. ;)
  • Rebecca and Nathan was purely autonomous but it was something I was expecting to happen sooner rather than later. As soon as Nathan arrived on the lot, Rebecca rolled the want to ask him on a date and then they went from there.
  • If you're wondering, Susannah is NOT the Oops, Preggy ROS Sim! Susannah was a HUGE surprise! She has 4 neat points, so she's not allowed BC (Sam only has 4 too, so he's not allowed BC either) but for some reason, I never thought she'd get pregnant. I keep expecting Maia or Adrienne to get knocked up and then my game throws me this curve ball. She's due in September 2034. Her first pregnancy update is in March and that will be more of a mini-story update than a regular birthday post. I mostly know where I'm going with this, so I'm getting that ready now.

27 comments:

  1. Oh good gracious, all this time I was expecting Rebecca to get the ROS, then Susannah gets knocked up, but it's not the ROS. Gosh, you have some many pregnancies right now and you haven't even gotten to the ROS yet, are there anymore families left for the ROS? I felt so bad for Julia in the corner though...:( I hope she gets her own happy ending one day.

    So now Kimberly is going to be a double grandmother this simyear.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Apple Valley, oh, it would be some spectacularly bad luck for Rebecca to have got pregnant. She and Nathan are both neat freaks, so they're doubling up on the BC.

    Poor Susannah. She's one out of four pregnant Sims I have right now and probably in the worst position of all of them. And yep, grandbaby #4 for Kimberly! I don't think any Sim with only two kids has ever accumulated grandkids quite so fast!

    I'm starting to feel quite bad for Julia myself. She hasn't really clicked with anyone else but she did really like Nathan. I do want to marry her off to somebody but I guess we'll see.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I saw your tweet about drama at the New Year's Eve party and you didn't disappoint! Poor Susannah, things like that happen all the time but it doesn't really hit home until it happens to you! And I do feel a little sorry for Julia.......broken hearts are tough to get over! Rebecca and Nathan are a great couple and it's nice to see them together.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my goodness! I can see why this took you 2 days to play. Lot's of craziness. First of all, I loved the look of the party. So much going on in the background of all the pics and it looked like a hopping party. Too funny about Hope and Malcolm being all over each other. But I'm really not surprised. They kind of look like the type. And great to see Jack and Audrey out together. I forgot to mention that in one of the last updates where they made an appearance. Seeing your roommies makes me anxious to have roommate households.

    Ok, so much to talk about (warning, this will probably be long lol)! Poor Susannah! After all the bad luck she's had with men, she finally found a good one (I guess) but ended up pregnant :\. I hope he sticks around to help with the little one. Even though I feel bad for her situation, I am kind of excited to see what the baby will look like. I hope he/she looks like her because she's beautiful. And I can't believe that none of these pregnancies have been the ROS one! I need some of your hood's fertility!

    As for Rebecca and Nathan, haha! I had a feeling they'd hook up after that last update. I think they'll be great together! They seem to be on the same level and are so driven.

    And lastly, I agree that at this point, you just have to feel a little sorry for Julia. It seems like everyone is “stealing” her boyfriends. And then being stuck at a party with all couples and you’re the only single has to make you feel even worse. Great, great update!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That was one rockin' party! A ton going on, how did you keep track of it all? So Rebecca and Nathan snuck off for a tumble, wow. I kind of felt for Julia, that look on her face when she slumped on the sofa was perfect.
    And a pregnancy to top it off. Great update~

    ReplyDelete
  6. This was a great update! All of your updates are good but this one I loved!! I love the way your characters interact. I want to do stories like these...you inspire me. Keep up the great story writing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I still have a few older posts to comment on but I just have to get into this one first!

    I'm pretty sure my jaw will hurt tomorrow because it just dropped on the floor! I kind of suspected the pregnancy when I saw Susannah acting all weird after the party but still! A shocking surprise! And this wasn't even the Oops pregnancy. I'm stunned.

    I think Rebecca and Nathan are a really cute couple. I'm glad it wasn't just a one night stand.

    I felt kind of bad for Julia. With the way things are going she might end up becoming Rebecca's client/patient!

    Great update, I enjoyed reading it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. <=== team susannah! Looks like Susie is not a little girl anymore! Sam better put a ring on it!

    I think julia needs to take some time off to clear her head. Who knows? Maybe she will find someone on vacay.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I forgot to say in my really long comment that I like the idea of having a counseling office in the school and Rebecca giving advice to students. I should have looked at the career levels of that career sooner. I might have to find a spot in my school now and make counseling offices in other lots.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mizzgin03, no, it's definitely not the kind of thing you imagine happening to you. This is a huge shock for Susannah.

    Losing Nathan is harder for Julia than when she broke up with Jack. They'd been together for four years and there was actually some attraction there, unlike with Jack. It's going to suck even more for her to see Nathan with Rebecca now (as much as I personally like them together!)

    Thanks for reading!

    Danielle, LOL, I played through all the non-party stuff and I didn't think the party was really going to provide much drama, so I almost just kept playing. I decided to go to bed instead, which was a good move, in the end! I would have been up all night!

    I never really pegged Hope and Malcolm as one of those couples but they surprised me. Apparently they are! And roomie households are the best - once you get some college grads, you should definitely do one!

    Susannah really likes Sam but she hasn't been with him long enough to know whether he's really going to stick by her or not, so this is pretty scary for her. I am sort of excited to see the baby though and I'm definitely hoping for a Susannah clone. ;)

    Rebecca and Nathan do make a lot of sense and Nathan's certainly been waiting long enough for her to come around. They have more in common than Rebecca first assumed. But yeah, poor Julia - to her, it seems like all her relationships are ending the same way (seeing she still thinks Nathan cheated on her). It has to suck.

    I'm actually considering changing one of my classrooms in my high school to a counselling office. There's one I don't really use that often but I don't know. I still might end up building a whole new school.

    Thanks for reading!

    Drew, it was a fun play session! I write as I play, generally, so that helps me keep everything in order. Lots of pausing. ;)

    Rebecca and Nathan have been a long time coming, at least for Nathan's part. He's liked her for a good while, though he wouldn't have made a move on her while he was with Julia (even though that's exactly what Julia thinks happened).

    The pregnancy is certainly going to shake things up! I had to do some quick thinking to figure out where I was going to put everyone once the baby came!

    Thanks for reading!

    Bernz, that's an incredible compliment and it means a lot to me to hear how much you enjoy Sullivan. :)

    Thanks for reading!

    Sari, I was pretty damn shocked about Susannah's pregnancy as well! I saw her go off to the bedroom with Sam and followed them and they were doing that hand grab they do post woohoo. No chimes, so I switched back to the rest of the party. Then I heard the chimes!

    I imagine Nathan to be quite conservative about sex. One night stands aren't for him and he probably wouldn't have slept with Rebecca at the party if he'd just met her. They both want to make something of this and I think they'll be pretty good together.

    Oh, goodness, that would be a conflict of interest, wouldn't it?! I can't imagine Rebecca or Julia would be too thrilled with that arrangement! But yeah, Julia may well benefit from something like that!

    Thanks for reading!

    LaurelCrossing, ha, well, we'll see how Sam reacts when Susannah tells him. I don't know what his wants look like but I can tell you that Susannah has the want to get married but not a specific want to marry Sam. So it may be her who is a little more gun-shy about this, even with the baby.

    Poor Julia. Holidays have actually helped my Sims clear their heads before, so it's not a bad idea. It's just a shame she and Hope have zero money to go away!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow what a great party, poor Julia...can only imagine how skewed she must have felt in that party surrounded by couples.
    What a supriced that Susannah is expecting, at first I thought it was going to be Rebecca so I was super surprice! I sort of feel for Susannah though, she must feel so confused and full of mixed feelings. Must be pretty awful to be in her situation, but I believe she will find the best wya forward. Am interested to see where it goes from here for her.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I feel sympathy for Julia, but she should have declined the invitation if she couldn't handle seeing Nathan with Rebecca. And I loved the way Rebecca went through that whole mental exercise about not being responsible for the breakup and so on but she really didn't want Julia there because she intended to put a move on Nathan. That is priceless!

    Poor Susannah. Pregnancy under those circumstances is not a good thing. Being there for her as a friend doesn't fix the problem.

    This was a fantastic chapter!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. A lot happened in this update! A New Years party, people sneaking off to woohoo, jealousy and a shock pregnancy, woah.

    That party seemed great, there was a lot going on in the background. The shots from it look great.


    I can't believe Susannah is pregnant, poor thing, there was no way she was expecting that. She needs a lot of support right now, whatever actions she takes.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Speechless, yes, Julia was on the outs at the party, being the only single girl.

    LOL, I'm surprised more than one of you thought Rebecca would get pregnant! Nope, unfortunately for Susannah, it was her. She has the want for a baby, which I locked. I'm sure she was expecting that baby to come a few years down the road.

    Thanks for reading!

    S.B., well, you have a good point there! Attending the party was not the best decision for Julia. And LOL, Rebecca wasn't quite as innocent as she made herself out to be, though it's true that things didn't get romantic between her and Nathan until after he'd broken up with Julia.

    And yes, that's also true. Susannah will need more than emotional support from Rebecca, which is about all she can offer. Hopefully, she can get some practical support from elsewhere though.

    Thanks for reading!

    Driftwood Valley, it was a pretty crazy play session for me! It's been so long since I've had a non-wedding party. I should do them more often!

    This is definitely a tough time for Susannah. She's feeling completely lost right now and she's going to need a lot of help in the coming months.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  15. OMG, what a captivating New Year party! I had to take a break in reading for bringing tea and cookies to the computer, just like for a movie! *lol*
    The evening was pretty hot for Rebecca and Nathan! They're nice together! I also felt a bit sorry for Julia.
    I can't believe you have another pregnant Sim! Poor Susannah, it's certainly not the best time for her. :/

    ReplyDelete
  16. There was a lot going on at the New Year party, but everyone - except for Julia maybe - seemed to have had a good time!
    I actually like Nathan and Rebecca together! I think she's a better match for him than Julia was. I keep wondering and hoping if there's a guy out there who's prefect for Julia!!
    Poor Susannah! This certainly isn't the best thing that could have happened to her at the moment! I'm hoping Sam is going to stick around for her!
    I'm glad we got to see Audrye and Jack :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sandy, it was definitely an enjoyable evening for Rebecca and Nathan, though the same thing that made it enjoyable for them made it not-so-enjoyable for Julia. :\

    Susannah getting pregnant is incredibly bad timing and incredibly bad luck. :(

    Thanks for reading!

    Tanja, it's true - most of the guests enjoyed themselves.

    Nathan and Rebecca have a lot in common, so I do think they're a good match for each other. I'm hoping Julia finds her good match eventually, as she hasn't had much luck so far!

    This is not where Susannah was hoping her life would lead, at least not right now. We'll see if Sam proves himself a truly good guy.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  18. As much as Julia annoys me sometimes, I really do feel bad for her. She must feel awfully lonely at a New Year's party full of couples. I hope she'll find someone who can keep up with her soon.

    Nathan and Rebecca are so cute! I love when ACR does that sort of thing.:)

    I knew Susannah was pregnant from the moment you said she'd been quiet and tired. I guess I've gotten a little to used to your sims getting knocked up!

    Sorry I haven't been able to comment or read for the last two weeks. Real life has been getting in the way.

    Great update!:)

    ReplyDelete
  19. coolkat2, I think Julia is maturing a little and is realising her methods with guys aren't really working. So yeah, she's mostly lonely at the moment. :\

    I am already very fond of Rebecca and Nathan together. ACR is awesome.

    I figured most of you would guess Susannah was pregnant by that point but I thought that realisation would be enough of a surprise, lol!

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Poor Julia! She did look so sad. She just keeps picking the wrong guys.

    But go Rebecca, lol! New Years Eve party hookup.

    And Susannah, ooh dear. What a quandary.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lunar, true, although Julia should probably keep in mind that she and Nathan had a pretty good relationship for most of the four years they were together. So she can do this relationship thing but she needs to keep her temper and jealousy in check as well!

    Rebecca and Nathan were always bound to happen and what better time than New Year's, huh? The party probably wasn't nearly as much fun for Susannah, carrying around the knowledge of her pregnancy. :\ I'm due to update you guys on all that pretty soon.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I said I was rooting for Nathan and Rebecca, and it looks like I finally get my wish!

    Poor Susannah though. If she's been seeing Sam regularly, she really should tell him he's got a kid on the way.

    And I even feel for Julia, despite her tendency toward psycho. The only one without a guy on New Year's, and surrounded by couples. It's not that bad if there aren't many kissing couples around to (intentionally or not) rub it in your face. A long bout of therapy and maybe a guy that's genuinely interested in her can work wonders for her, considering her rather bad luck with guys as well.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Fini, yes, I noticed you said that in one of the college updates and I thought "well, just you wait!". I bit my tongue and didn't say anything though, to avoid spoilers for you (and anyone else who was reading).

    Susannah will tell Sam, definitely. She just hasn't done it yet.

    I find it kind of hard not to feel for Julia. It does suck being the only single in a sea of couples! I'm hoping she can find a new guy and have a nice, healthy relationship.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh wow! Susannah's pregnancy is quite a surprise! I can't blame her for being a little upset by it, especially given the fact that she has had such bad luck with guys.

    Yay for Nathan and Rebecca! Nathan is such a good guy that I always root for him. Maybe now he won't be so grumpy. ;) But I do feel bad for Julia, especially the way she reacted at the party.

    What a crazy update! :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Rachel, Susannah hasn't had great luck with guys in the past. Malcolm was probably her best boyfriend and even he was acting like a jerk at the time. So she's not sure if Sam will stick around, though she's naturally hoping he will.

    Nathan is a pretty good guy, even though he is also an anti-social one! I think he'll probably always be a little grumpy - it's just his nature. There have been a few people (me included!) waiting for Nathan and Rebecca to get together, so this was fun for me.

    Hopefully, a better match is round the corner for Julia.

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I know this is forever old, but I'm working on catching up and I just had to say, OMG!!! :o Poor Susannah! I hope Sam is a good one, because she's tied to him at least in some capacity from this point on.

    I like Nathan and Rebecca together! I remember thinking about them at one point way back, when she was still with Lucian, I think!

    And belated yay for Hope and Malcolm back together again! I never could see those two with anyone but each other, so I'm happy to see them back together again! :D

    Oh Julia... I do wish the best for her though. But I also bet all the guys stay away from her because of her crazy reputation, lol!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Laura, that was about my reaction to Susannah getting pregnant! And true, she's kind of stuck with Sam for life now...if he sticks around at all. I used his wants to decide on that, which you will read about when you get to March birthdays.

    I think you might have commented on a possible Rebecca/Nathan pairing a while back, actually! I've been planning on letting them get together, seeing Nathan has been so keen for so long. This round was just the first time either of them have made a move!

    I'm very glad to have Malcolm and Hope back together. Even when I broke them up (which was only because they kind of broke themselves up and I decided to write it in), I couldn't see them with other people. There's someone besides Malcolm who Hope has much higher chemistry with but I just can't see them together at all! I'll reveal who he is at a later stage.

    Poor Julia...in her and Hope's update, I think I wrote a little thing in on what the men of Sullivan might think of her, from Malcolm's perspective. It's not exactly a glowing review but who could blame them?, lol

    Thanks for reading!

    ReplyDelete